American Indian Imagery and the Miseducation of America

Abstract

During the past three years, a vast array of institutions charged with protecting the educational welfare of children, including school districts, state education departents, and even the United States Department of Justice, have faced the task of determining the appropriateness of American Indian imagery as the cornerstone of personal, school, and community identity. In this paper, an argument is introduced that the continued use of American Indian sport imagery is symptomatic of a form of cultural illiteracy. A case is further made that these images contribute not only to a hostile culture and classroom climate for American Indians but also serve to miseducate Americans in general about our shared history. © 1999 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved